max range

[awash2002]

What is the maximum range of the Cherokee?

[bobsk8]

What is the maximum range of the Cherokee?

http://www.risingup.com/planespecs/info ... e517.shtml

[awash2002]

So 510NM OK that really changes things around on my around the world flight

[Oracle427]

The wind is going to be a much bigger factor on your range planning. You need to choose a cruising altitude with the most favorable winds and performance for your mission. I forgot if those figures assume 75% power or best endurance at a lower airspeed and power setting.

Best to consider the amount of time you can remain aloft vs the range. Once you know how much time you can keep flying, then you can consider the winds and true airspeed to figure out how far you will actually go.

[awash2002]

Right now I'm at 7,000 feet 9.2gph 124kts cruise now on some legs I will go up as high as 10,000

[Oracle427]

You are definitely not making your best endurance there.

http://www.coyoteflight.com/resources/A ... 8-180E.pdf

Page 62 of the PDF, page 39 of the POH.
You can extend the endurance significantly, though again, the winds aloft will also greatly affect your groundspeed.

Remember that if the winds are direct headwinds at 50 knots at 10000 feet, then you will only cover 50 NM at a true airspeed of 100 after an hour of flight. If you had 50 knot tailwinds, you would cover 150 NM after an hour. That is a HUGE difference!

So make sure to check winds aloft and choose an appropriate cruising altitude as well as an optimal power setting to get a safe endurance you need for a given leg.

[ratty]

I took the Cherokee around the world a couple of years ago. Had a lot of of time to experiment with airspeed, altitude, and power and mixture settings. The winds make a big difference; you can get blown a long way if you stay up for ten hours or so. I had to wait a week at FIMR for winds that would get me to Diego Garcia. The longest hop I managed was just under 1000 nm.

[mallcott]

Right now I'm at 7,000 feet 9.2gph 124kts cruise now on some legs I will go up as high as 10,000

For max range calculation, use GROUNDSPEED not IAS for route and flight planning. Your IAS is less significant than your ability to cover distance and for long endurance flights the impact of groundspeed has greater significance the longer you spend in the air. You will adjust your altitude to maximise ground speed, or at least minimise its impact,

[n421nj]

For max endurance every little thing helps as well. If i have the runway ill take off at less than full power and do a gentle climb to altitude to keep fuel burn as low as possible

[mallcott]

For max endurance every little thing helps as well. If i have the runway ill take off at less than full power and do a gentle climb to altitude to keep fuel burn as low as possible

That may not be advantageous.

If you can get to height sooner you can lean further, take advantage of tail winds and improve your (nautical) miles per gallon over the course of the whole flight, by far the greatest proportion of which will be spent at cruise on a long range trip. If you spend an hour at 20 gallons per hour there's a point (well a line) on the graph of ground distance travelled v. ground speed where it's disadvantageous to NOT climb at best speed. And of course, if you slow the climb the you lengthen the time to GET to those advantageous tail winds.

It's the same reason that jets fly high for even relatively short stage lengths - the advantage in fuel burn `up there` more than compensates for the fuel burnt getting `up there`. What is common to both props and jets is that power is reduced for descent so if the descent length is lengthy (as it will be for descending from altitude) you will proportionately spend longer in ground miles covered at reduced fuel burn - massively so. Depending on calculations on weather effect this can even mean going far higher than normal `peak altitude` in order to spend longer in ground speed advantage at reduced flows.

This why there are no simple answers, no one-line pieces of advice to be thrown, and no right or wrong - your case could be totally justifiable in the case of constant head winds for example - why waste the time to climb to altitude when it's a 30-knot headwind whatever AGL you choose?